Recently, Bitch Media’s podcast, Popaganda, focused on diversity on books and the book publishing industry. They noted that 89% of the industry is white and highlighted the efforts of the We Need Diverse Books campaign. The podcast spoke to several writers, but no one who works in the publishing industry itself. Since that’s my day job, it’s an issue that’s close to me. If we ever want the book publishing to reflect the US population, I figure it might be helpful to share information on exactly how one goes about getting a job in the industry. This advice might not be helpful to everyone, but I suppose it’s a place to start, right?

After my last trip to Japan in 2013, I detailed all the fun I had finding all the new Sailor Moon merch in this post. Two years later, with two musicals and Sailor Moon Crystal under our belts, what was it like for a Moonie visiting Japan? Still gobs of fun, but different as well!

This time around, I didn’t just bring myself to the Sailor Moon merch, but I brought the Sailor Moon merch to Japan! I decide to carry around my Sailor Moon drawbag which surprised many Japanese people. I overheard several surprised whispers, “Sailor Moon!” and in one case, one woman in Nara asked me if I liked Sailor Moon. I also brought along my Sailor Moon dress from Hot Topic and wore it the day of the musical. The barista at Starbucks thought it was cute!

But I suppose I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Before the musical arrived, there were many other adventures to be had! One of the first stops was the pop up store at Tokyu Hands in Shibuya.

I’m back with the Transformation Sequence team talking about Sailor Moon Crystal! In this episode, we cover the second arc where the Black Moon Clan comes from the future to destroy both the past and the future. If you are a fan of the 90s anime and hated Chibiusa/Rini, you should definitely check out our review!

The lovely team at Transformation Sequence invited me on their way cool podcast again to review Sailor Moon Crystal. I haven’t really done any episode reviews on here–Crystal tries to get through so much plot, it’s hard to say any of substance apart from the plot itself for each episode. That said, in this podcast we review the whole Dark Kingdom arc. So for episode recap lovers, here you go!

You can also subscribe to Transformation Sequence via iTunes or listen to more reviews on their website.

In 2013, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to see the first production of the new Sailor Moon musicals, La Reconquista. Two years later, with the stars aligned, I was able to travel back to Japan to see the third musical, Un Nouveau Voyage, which is based on my favorite season, Sailor Moon S. This adventure was super special because I was able to come with my fiancé and brothers to Japan for the first time. It was amazing!

Sailor Moon fans have eagerly anticipated the appearance of Black Lady, the villianess version of Chibiusa, in Sailor Moon Crystal. She has finally arrived in all her evil glory and yet many fans have gotten more than what they bargained for–Black Lady passionately kisses the younger version of her father, Tuxedo Mask, not once, but twice. While some fans have reacted to these cringeworthy scenes with disgust, others have tried to poke fun of Chibiusa’s “Electra Complex.” But what is an “Electra Complex” exactly? Does it even exist? And does Chibiusa really have one?

Recently, I had the great pleasure to be interviewed on the podcast Transformation Sequence. Kym and Vince were amazing hosts! We covered a bunch of topics such as growing up in the 90s, Sailor Moon & feminism, Japanese culture and even my thoughts on Kill La Kill! Vince also managed to suss out who my favorite sailor guardian is….

When I tell other Moonies I run a feminist Sailor Moon website, often times the very next question is: “What are your thoughts about the sexualization of Sailor Chibi Moon?” At first, I was taken aback. I never thought of Chibi Moon as particularly sexualized. I ask what they mean and they tell me, “Well, she has breasts in the manga.” Meaning, Chibiusa is too young to have breasts.

I don’t think Chibiusa is too young to have breasts. And that’s not just a personal opinion; there’s an reason within the story itself as to why Chibiusa/Sailor Chibi Moon is drawn with breasts–and it’s a reason that might not be obvious to Westerners.